The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is compelling

BlackBerry, from Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM) is still king of the email hill and the device is arguably the most essential portable tool any business can have.

The 8520, despite its smart looks, is a budget BlackBerry, so there's no GPS

9:45PM BST 29 Aug 2009

BlackBerry, from Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), is still king of the email hill, and the device is arguably the most essential portable tool any business can have.

Over the years the design of the handset has been improved, with brighter screens, snazzier operating gadgets and more ergonomic shapes.

But some people still find the company's handsets too wide to use easily as a mobile phone – many business people value their BlackBerry highly but would always pack a separate phone for voice calls.

The Curve range was introduced to address this, combining a much slimmer profile but with a still highly usable QWERTY keyboard – the hallmark for easy text input.

The latest Curve, code-numbered 8520, is near-identical to the company's last one, though the absence of chrome edging makes it look smaller. The display is a little smaller, too.

But the real difference is the absence of BlackBerry's trademark glowing trackball, the Pearl.

Instead, a neat, square touchpad – like a tiny version of a laptop's trackpad – responds sensitively to the slightest movement and pressure. It's impressively nimble, accurate and enjoyable to use. But while switching from the thumbwheel of earlier models to the Pearl took a little time, here the trackpad becomes familiar quickly. This is a mark of RIM's delicate touch with critically sensitive hardware.

The 8520, despite its smart looks, is a budget BlackBerry, so there's no GPS (which isn't too great a hardship).

However, it also lacks the fast 3G data connection which makes web browsing more efficient. While the BlackBerry's clever handling of email means that this slower data speed doesn't matter, it does lead to slower internet surfing.

There's wi-fi, too, so you can achieve faster data speeds in a suitably equipped hotel lobby, for example. And many users may feel that the space saved by excluding the big 3G receiver outweighs internet speed benefits.

It's kept the BlackBerry from winning a fifth star here, though.

I'd say the BlackBerry Bold is still the best machine the company has produced.

But if you found that product a little on the wide side, or want something cheaper, the latest Curve is compelling.